A Long Way From Home
by Tears To Rozes
Summary: With theunifected finally being rescued, CEDA decides to ship them off to different countries for them to start life anew. Can Nick and Ellis hand the struggles of a new life in a new country and their complicated relationship?
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Niihau

**DISCLAIMER:** As with copyright law, the trademark fair use doctrine is premised in significant part on the First Amendment guarantees of free speech. Fair use is consistent with the more limited protection granted to trademarks, generally specific only to the particular product market and geographic area of the trademark owner. Credit to the creation of the characters belongs to the creaters of Left 4 Dead. This counts for the whole story, and will NOT be repeated in further chapters.

**WARNING:** This piece is rated M for a reason! Language, situations, and word choice, m'kay? This chapter isn't that bad, all things considered, but might as well cover this now.

**A Long Way from Home**

"We'll be landing in a moment or two folks, how're you four holding up?" The co-pilot leaned over and poked his head around the chair to gaze at the four survivors. He gave them a smile before going to help the pilot with his job.

The four all leaned toward the closest window. They had finally managed to get into an operating plane, with no infected pilot, and they were about to land in the last checkpoint needed before being shipped off to start a new life in the uninfected areas.

The United States had become a mass chaos of bombing and gun fire, and was no longer safe for anyone. Down below was a beautiful mass of blues and greens. The group was about to land in the Hawaiian island of Niihau. With no surprise, the Hawaiian Islands were free of infection, and CEDA decided to place the final evacuation zone in one of the smallest of the paradise islands.

The island was lush with beautiful plant life, covered in sandy beaches, and just drenched with the sweet scent of the ocean. CEDA had decided to evacuate the island of its locals, and had put up a large building. Inside the survivors that seemed immune in the previous evacuation centers were checked, and checked again.

Those who passed were scrubbed clean, given new clothes, and fed rather well, actually. They were given rooms in one of the hotels (for free), and were split into groups. As to not over populate other countries, the groups were each shipped to separate places. But until then, the survivors usually just relaxed, finally not having to worry about the attacks of Zombies coming from every turn. It truly was the paradise island.

Once the group of four landed, they were split off into gender groups, leaving Rochelle alone, and the three boys were pulled off together.

"Hey, Coach . . . " Ellis walked in between their leader and the con man.

Glancing down at the hick, Coach raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Ellis?"

"Well," gaze dropping to the floor, Ellis fidgeted with his blue trucker hat. "Do ya think we're gonna get split up . . . I mean, I know it's not like we have ta stay t'gether n' all . . . it's just. Well, ya'know . . . with going to a new country and all –"

Nick interrupted the younger boy. "Ellis, five minutes ago, you were bouncing up and down in the helicopter naming off all the countries you wished you could get sent to."

Ellis gave one of his adorable laughs, smirking a little. "Heh," he grinned. "Yeah, I was, wasn't I? Well, I mean, I'm excited as hell to go to a new country . . . But I was just saying that it'd be really . . . well . . . Not cool ta go without you three." He glanced at Nick, then at Coach. "We've been through so much-"

The conman simply rolled his eyes and walked ahead. "Whatever you say Ellis –just shut up and strip down so we can get new clothes."

Ellis was so busy worrying about what was going to happen, he hadn't noticed that the group had been led to a small, white tiled, empty room and that the crew members had left. Scrunching up his nose, the country boy did as told, and stripped himself of his clothes. Glancing up to see if the others were going to give him any instructions, Ellis caught sight of Nick.

Shirt off, muscles exposed, Nick was definitely a looker. Biting at his bottom lip, Ellis tore his gaze away, not wanting to be caught gawking at Nick. Yet, every few seconds, his eyes flicked to the conman, eyes wandering over his now naked body. It wasn't Ellis' fault that he couldn't stop looking; however, it _was_ his fault he didn't tear his gaze away in time.

Nick happened to turn just slightly, showing off all of his pride, and caught sight of Ellis. It was a subtle little glance, not one to make the younger boy freak out. He had pretended to be looking up at what he presumed to be a shower head, yet he was glancing sideways at Ellis, wondering just when the hick was going to stop drooling.

He didn't want to say anything though. Even though he would never admit it, Nick considered Ellis his friend, and, even though he figured Ellis to be a little fruity, he didn't want to call the younger boy out on it.

In Nick's mind, though, there was no way that Ellis could be straight –bisexual maybe, but not straight. The number one reason that brought the conman to that conclusion was the infamous 'Keith'. Had that unlucky son of a bitch been real, Nick had no doubt in his mind that he and Ellis had a thing going on.

After all, no one talked about another man that much, and with such a smile in his big Blue eyes. In a way, it sort of drove Nick up a wall. At first, it was very obvious why –Nick hated Ellis' voice. He hated the heavy accent; he hated the too stupid, innocent tone that Ellis had. Yet, no matter how many times the three members of the group tried to shut him up, the hick just kept on talking.

At first his stories were just absurd. Nick couldn't understand how Ellis knew a man who has survived all the crazy shit that Ellis claimed he did. His only explanation was that Keith didn't actually exist. He was either Ellis' imaginary friend, or this guy was just some made up person for Ellis to talk about. Even though they were similar, Nick categorized them in differently.

Then, as Ellis started talking more and more about this 'Keith', Nick felt himself growing angrier than usual. It was clear that he had gotten over Ellis' voice, and for some reason it was a comfort to hear that southern accent. So why did he still get angry then?

Rochelle had noticed it too one day, when Ellis was on his fifth Keith story in a matter of ten minutes. Nick had seemed unbelievably annoyed and, at every mention of Keith's name, it seemed as though he wanted to cringe, to take a chainsaw to his ears.

They were in a safe house and Nick was sitting on the counter, eating some bag of chips that had been in a vending machine. Ellis was going on with some story about one of Keith's 'great adventures' and Nick was practically snarling until Rochelle startled him.

"Nick," Rochelle muttered in a hushed tone so only he could hear her. Turning just slightly, he gave the reporter one of those 'what the fuck do you want, Rochelle?' looks, and she only smiled. "You really should let him be." She cast her gaze over to Ellis, that motherly expression on her face.

"He doesn't have much, but the stories he holds on to. . . I know they're getting kind of annoying, but just look at Ellis' face when he talks about his friends . . . " she giggled. "It's enough to give anyone the impression that Ellis was more than sweet on the boy."

It was at that point that Nick realized why he had been getting so angry. Sure, it wasn't right, but when did jealousy have a justified perspective? Nick didn't own Ellis. Hell, Nick still could barely stand the boy. Yet, he knew he was growing a soft spot for the hick –tanks to his professional poker-face, though he was able to hide it.

It just didn't seem fair in Nick's eyes. He had to pretend like Ellis didn't matter to him, he had to act as though Ellis was still that stupid kid from the hotel he had met so long ago, but what did Ellis have to do? Nothing. Did he do anything? Yes. Ellis had managed to grind every inch of Nick's nerves with this Keith guy. Sure, he managed to survive breaking both legs by driving off a cliff, 3rd degree burns on over 95% of his body . . . twice, but what right did Ellis have to shove this guy in Nicks face?

Rochelle was right though –every time that Ellis spoke of that son of a bitch, his big puppy dog eyes lit up, and a smile would spread from ear to ear on those soft lips of his. Nick had to endure all of that. He had to listen to Ellis' infatuation with someone else, while he was secretly hiding his own.

That was why it was kind of surprising for Nick when he caught Ellis gawking at his length -though, he could easily understand why the younger boy was . . . But that could have just been his ego talking. He still wouldn't call Ellis out, though. If he had, who knew what would happen? Ellis could simply retort with some annoying lie or comment, and there was a chance he would recoil.

Clearing his throat as a warning, Nick gave Ellis what seemed to be an unknowing warning that he was planning on turning around. Before he did though, he made sure to steal one more look at Ellis' cock.

Hearing the cough, Ellis immediately retracted his gaze, dropping it to the ground as he twiddled his thumbs nervously, but somehow he managed to keep that adorable smile of his on his face.

"So when do you think they're gonna get us new clothes?" Coach's voice rang out loudly in the small room, his voice bouncing off of the empty walls.

Nick just looked at him, about to open his mouth, when there was a loud click.

"Terribly sorry for the wait; please place your clothes in that clear box over to the far left, and be sure to shut the lid, then step back into the center. Thank you." Confused, the group did as told and stepped back into the center, awaiting any further instructions.

A few more clicks were heard, and all of a sudden their clothes burst into flames. Nick simply raised an eye brow, but Ellis' eyes went wide and he put his hand on his head, his curly blue hair flowing freely, even though it was short. A large smile spread across his face as he pointed at the clear box.

"Ho-lee shit, man! Didj'all see that! Haha! That was fuckin' awesome!" He ran his hand through his hair, his smile revealing that childish side of him. The side that, no matter the mood Nick was to be in, could make the conman want to smile.

Watching him carefully, Nick made sure to keep his eyes on Ellis' face. Getting caught checking the younger boy out by Coach, Ellis, and the CEDA crew wasn't exactly what he had in mind. "Ellis, I swear, you're the weir-"

Nick's sentence was cut off by a few more clicking noises, then the multiple shower heads turning on from all directions, some with water jetting from them in a harsh manner, contact with it causing the skin to instantly turn red. Then there were some gentler ones. Nick stepped back to avoid being hit with the jet, only to bump into Ellis.

Ellis' face turned a deep red as he felt his cock brush against Nick. In return, Nick jumped forward and spun around, praying it wasn't Coach he bumped into. "Ah, sorry Ellis, Those jet's hurt." The conman was relieved to see that he had bumped Ellis, but he had to steal a glance of naked Coach to give him a gross mental image to keep from growing hard.

Ellis quickly stepped to the side, into one of the direct lines of a jet to avoid looking at Nick. "Naw, it's okay, man . . . shit happens, right?"

The two managed to avoid the other for the rest of the 'shower' as CEDA called it. All three were all too happy to get new clothes, dressing as quickly as possible. Ellis was especially pleased to see that he was given a hat, upon request from Rochelle, who had managed to finish much earlier than the boys.

Once they were dressed and ready to reunite with the rest of the survivors, Rochelle included, the three were kept in a sanitary room to be briefed. A man in a fancy looking suit, one that Nick would like to be in, stepped in through a door with a glowing red 'Exit' sign above it. He looked over the boys, and nodded a little in approval.

"Wonderful, you're all cleaned up, and have passed all the tests, so I am glad to say you are three more survivors that we can ship off to start your new lives."

"Wait . . . ." Ellis interrupted out of the blue. "What 'bout Rochelle. . . She made it too right?"

The man simply nodded and went on with his briefing. "So here's the deal. The three of you will meet in the banquet hall of the hotel you will be staying at in about two hours. During that time, you will have your evening meal, and everyone in the hall will be split into several different groups. Once in your new groups you will find the destination that you'll be sent to. Unfortunately, the boat won't be arriving for five days; it needs to stop at another evacuation site in the main island of Hawaii, and then it will arrive here. I can't guarantee that the thr- er . . . the four of you will be in the same group, but when I assign them, I will be sure to take in account that the four of you have traveled together for so long."

Eyes wide, Ellis looked at Coach, then Nick, and then the well dressed man. "So . . . what'cher sayin' is 'at we might get separated?" Ellis shot Nick a quick glance, surprise in his expression when his eyes met dead on with Nick's. Was the older boy thinking the same thing as him? This was Ellis' family; he didn't want to lose them . . . especially not Nick.

Catching Ellis' eyes, Nick hopped that Ellis understood that even though he wasn't saying anything, he didn't wish to be separated either. Nick wasn't one to trust people –in fact, it was rare that he ever did. But with having to put his life in the hands of the three of his companions, Nick didn't want to deal with any new people. Sure, he knew they would all probably separate once they were in their new 'home', but having to travel, he didn't want to deal with the annoyance of new people.

The man looked over the three boys' faces and nodded a little. "You will have three meals served a day, if you find yourself hungry in between just ask one of the maids and they will bring you food. During the other hours, feel free to enjoy yourself, as long as you stay within the limits."

You will see caution tape up where you are not allowed to go. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any member of the CEDA staff. Oh," he paused for a minute, "you each have your own Hotel room, third floor, and your room is on the right side, opposite of the elevator. Your names have been posted on the doors, and there is clothing and all your necessities in there. Enjoy your freedom, boys."

With that, the man turned and walked back out the door, letting it click shut behind him. The three stood still for a moment, each tossing the other a simple look of confirmation before walking to the door, and leaving the room.

The three boys squinted in the bright light of the sun. It was weird to breathe in through your nose and smell nothing but fresh air, flowers, and ocean. Ellis looked down and blinked at the tan colored sand, a big grin spreading across his cheeks. "Holy shit, guys! It's the beach!" The youngest boy ran up ahead, kicking and dropping down into the sand as he did so.

Nick looked at Coach, who was watching Ellis. "You'd think the boy never got his child hood."

The older man slipped Nick a look before smiling. "Son, after what we went through, I'd be rollin' around like a kid too, if I had the knees for it. . . " Coach walked ahead, "I'm gonna go find Rochelle. Meet you two at the hotel." Coach walked off and disappeared somewhere around the hotel.

Glancing around, Nick was pleased to find just him and Ellis in the proximity. Hands slipping into the pocket of his jeans, the conman made his way over to Ellis, who was watching a crab in amazement. It was funny, the affect that new clothes had on him. With a sort sleeved hooded tee, and a pair of black, loose fitting pants, he seemed to have a more youthful, rebellious air about him.

"Yo, overalls . . . " Nick approached Ellis and sat down in the sand, watching the younger boy. He felt really hot in the sun with a short sleeve shirt with long sleeves attached, and a pair of denim jeans.

Ellis took his eyes off of the crab and looked around then looked at Nick. "Where'd everybody go?"

Nick raised an eye brow. "Everybody? There was only you, me, and Coach. . . He went to go find Rochelle, so it's just us now."

The mechanic gave a nod before looking at Nick again. "So whatcha want?"

"Nothing really . . . I just had a question."

"Well a'right . . . What it is?" He plopped down in front of Nick, legs crossed, holding his ankles. He almost seemed like a teenager.

Nick leaned back, arms supporting him as he looked up at the sky. "Back in the sh—I'm curious. Do you think that the birds could have carried the sickness here?"

Confused by his sudden change of topic, and curious as to what the first topic was, Ellis only gave a small shake of his head. "I ain't seen no infected birds, Nick. . . " He was about to peruse the beginning of Nick's first question, but was interrupted.

"Mm, you're right . . . Here, let's go. Might as well go find our rooms then meet up with the two in the banquet hall." Without further questioning, Nick stood, and dusted the sand from himself, before heading for the what once was a luxurious spa resort.

Standing, Ellis followed, his mind a little cloudy with the fact that Nick wouldn't ask him the question that he originally had. El was childish, and sometimes very naïve, but he wasn't stupid. He was able to tell that Nick was hiding something from him, and it made the young mechanic feel distanced. Almost as if he was being pushed away by the boy he was growing so fond of.

Not saying another word, the two slipped into the hotel, scoured for their rooms, and finally found them. From left to right, it went; Coach, Rochelle, Ellis, and Nick. Nick had the corner room, the one at the far end of the hallway, which he liked; it had a nice view, and a lot of privacy, but he didn't know how he felt about Ellis' room being right next to his.

Sure, he wanted it to be, but with the possibility that they could be getting split up, the conman wanted to separate himself from the others as much as possible. He knew it wasn't going to be easy . . . but he needed to try.

Once the two were situated in their rooms, and Ellis was done exploring all the nooks and crannies of it, they headed down to the banquet hall. It was a large, beautiful room; with deep blue carpeting lined by dark, cream colored walls. Matching satin curtains hung around each enormous window. But by far, the most beautiful thing in the hall was the crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room.

Nick spotted Coach and Rochelle chatting away at a table just under the chandelier. Grabbing the younger boy's arm, the conman pulled him off in the right direction. He didn't want to be one of the idiots standing around looking every which way just to find a seat because they felt too awkward to ask if they could sit with anyone. That wasn't his style –besides, he wanted to get dinner done and over with as quick as possible. He needed to know who the teams were.

Rochelle greeted Ellis with a big hug and smiled kindly at Nick, asking what they thought of the 'shower rooms'. The four mingled quietly –it was clear they were still on edge, though. At almost every cough, or every awkward sound, they would look, and reach for what use to be their guns. Maybe their fighting days really were over? It was such a strange and absurd thought.

After a few more moments of waiting, maids and crew members brought out trays upon trays of food. The way that the head of CEDA looked at it was that they fucked up by not stopping the infection in time, so they should make it up to the survivors by spoiling them.

To say the least, the group didn't hesitate to dig into anything they could. Especially Coach. Nick was worried that he was going to end up devouring the whole room if someone didn't stop him. Rochelle ate the least, though; said something about wanting to keep her girlish figure. Ellis was eating rather rapidly as well, but Nick seemed too distracted to eat.

His eyes were locked on that man in the fancy suit. He seemed too lost, too distracted to even pick at his food. Sure, every now and then he shoved a fork full of food into his mouth, but a lot of the food on his plate was still remaining twenty minutes after. Brows furrowing in frustration, Nick just put his fork down and rubbed his temples.

Looking over at him, Rochelle kept her eyes trained on Nick, worried that he wasn't eating. There was no way that the conman wasn't hungry, especially with such a nice spread as the one in front of them, so she decided to try and see what was wrong. Following his frustrated gaze, she realized just what was wrong indeed: Nick was worrying about the teams. They all were, but for some reason, one she couldn't figure out, Nick seemed to be taking it the hardest. Maybe he really had begun to warm up to them.

She decided to try and calm his nerves. "Nick, honey. Stop worrying; I'm sure we'll be put into the same gr-"

"Attention everyone. . . Attention please." The man in the fancy suit stepped up onto the small stage in the back of the hall and stood in front of the podium, the microphone just inches from his mouth. "I hope that all of you have found your rooms, and you are enjoying your meals. Please, don't think that in any way I am rushing you, I would like for you all to take your times, and eat as much as you like."

He glanced around at all the people and cleared his throat. "However, as I have mentioned to each of you earlier on, there is a little bit of business that will need to be attended to. So I figure that now would be the best time. You all may continue eating, so long as you pay attention. . . It is time to separate you into separate teams . . . "

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><p><strong>Hi All, Ashy-Chan here, hopping you enjoyed the first chapter of one of my new fanfics. It took me a while to think up the idea, and even longer to get the curage to post it ^-^;;. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy it and keep reading. If you want to see my general updates, just check out my profile!<strong>

**Also, I wanna thank BookHippie for editing this for me. and if you wanna read my Nick/Ellis two shot, check out her page :p**

**P.S. : Please R&R, I'll update faster!**


	2. Chapter 2: Down The Rabbit Hole

**A Long Way from Home**

**Chapter 2: Down the Rabbit Hole**

There was a heavy pause as the man in the suit looked over the crowd, him knowing very well that most were not going to like how the teams were paired. Did he care? No; he was doing his job, and he was doing it how he wanted to, whether others liked it or not. Those were the perks that people got when they were in charge of anything, especially in major corporations.

The whole room was tense with the heavy fear of being separated from the group that they had been traveling with to get to where they are now. Most, if not all, of the people had grown close with those they traveled with, forming friendships that were hard to break. Nick, Ellis, Rochelle, and Coach were no exception.

All of them had learned to trust one another and rely on one other for help –other than the few captains and pilots that helped them out along the way, the group only had each other, and, as Ellis often said, they were a family. Sure, Nick didn't like to call them family, but, after all they had been through, he would gladly at least call them friends.

On more than one occasion, he had told Ellis that he was not planning on abandoning them once they reached safety. But, the threat of forced separation was at hand, and everyone was worriedly awaiting the list of people in each team. Around the group, the other survivors were quietly whispering to each other, asking small questions like; 'how many teams are there?', 'Is he going to split us up?', and 'Why can't we just decide where we want to go?'

The whispers soon faded, but their questions still lingered in everyone's minds. Glancing around again, to reassure himself that he still had everyone's attention, the man in the suit cleared his throat, eyes darting over the anxious, captivated audience.

"Alright, there will be four teams: Each team is split up into a precise number of people as to not overwhelm the country you are being shipped to. As I mentioned to all of you previously, the boats will arrive here in a few days to pick their assigned team up. Each boat will already have a group of survivors from another evacuation zone."

With a nod, he continued, "Now, here are the teams. Team A will consist of-" he proceeded to list off thirty or so survivors, then, at the very end, two names that caught the group's ears. "and finally, Ellis . . . and Rochelle. That is all for team A. Now, team B will be Nick, Coach," and once more, he went off to name thirty or so more survivors.

The four sat there, tuning the man out as the news sunk in. Ellis set his fork down and gave Nick and Coach a sad smile; his eyes delivering a deeper message than words ever could because, for the first time, the redneck was speechless. His gaze quickly dropped to the table, and he felt Rochelle's hand on his shoulder, not willing to let this tear their group apart.

The dark-skinned woman looked at Coach, who nodded in silent acknowledgement: The two were going to have to come up with some sort of plan if they wanted to keep their group together. Coach only gave the two a small glance, worried with how the two boys were going to take it.

Letting out a sigh, Ellis rubbed the back of his neck, adjusting the hat that felt like a foreign object on his head. "I reckon we ain't gon' be seein' one another after we get shipped off, huh?" The youngest member bit his lip, holding back the sorrow that was gnawing at his chest; Ellis' worst fear coming true.

"Not like we expected any differently." Nick stood with such force he knocked his chair to the ground, causing half, if not all, of the hall to turn and watch as he stormed out of the hall. Ellis' shoulders dropped as he watched Nick leave; for some reason, seeing him leave hurt Ellis more than the younger boy thought possible.

A strong hand rested on Ellis' shoulder, and the boy looked over to see Coach standing there, a small smile on his face. "We'll figure this out, don't you worry boy." Ellis smiled and nodded; he trusted the two, and knew that they would fix the situation, but he was still upset with Nick. Why had the older boy left like that? Didn't he have faith in the two?

"Hey ya'll . . . just do yer best, aight?" Rochelle smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't you worry, Ellis, we're going to fix this mess . . . " The three looked up to the man in the suit, who seemed ready to continue with his speech.

"Now, I know that some of the groupings haven't been exactly what people have expected, but I assure you that we have done this for specific reasons that will remain unknown to you. Now, Team A, you will be shipped off to Japan, Team B, you will be sent to France, Team C, you're going to be going to Germany, and Team D, you're going to Africa."

Once he was finished with his speech, the head of CEDA stepped down off the stage, walked over to a table of men and women in business suits, and took a seat amongst his co-workers. Ellis gave Rochelle and Coach a smile, pushing his plate away a little bit. "Hey, I'm gonna go get some rest; I'm exhausted."

"Alright, sweetie. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask! Coach and I will come speak to you and Nick once we figure something out." With a nod, Ellis gave the two a smile and stood, pushing his chair in like the Southern Gentleman he was, then walking off. Even though he was exhausted, Ellis wasn't about to go to bed; he had too much on his mind, so he slipped outside to explore the island.

Glancing around, Nick kept himself pressed to the wall, his black hair messily framing his face with no gel to hold it back. The conman kept his breathing down as he listened intently for the sound of footsteps to disappear around the corner. Once he was sure the retreating footsteps had gone a good distance away, Nick cautiously poked his head around a corner, eyeing the scene up to make sure he wasn't putting himself in too much danger by risking this.

When he had left the banquet hall, Nick had planned on just going to his room and sleeping until it was time to leave, but on his way to the elevator, he had heard two CEDA crew members talking. Taking cover behind a corner, he listened as they spoke about having to print out the list of people for the ships –and that's when it hit him.

He had the perfect idea, and he wanted to jump on it as soon as he could. He had slyly managed to follow the male, and what Nick presumed to be his girlfriend –or, at least, she seemed highly interested in the man. The two had lead him off to some lab-looking place that Nick never expected to see in a hotel . . . one in Hawaii, none the less.

The conman had kept close eyes on the two, and watched as they typed in the password that opened the metal door. It seemed to lead into a computer room filled with high tech shit you usually see in the lab of some weird science fiction movie. No one seemed to be in it, though, and that made the older boy relax a bit. As he listened to the girl pretty much get rejected, he looked around for any signs of a camera or guards.

Everything seemed clear, though; for such a high tech facility, it was really surprising that it was left so open, and actually really easy to find. The boy walked away first, leaving the girl behind in shame as he went off to go about his business, but the female had remained. She was muttering something about ungrateful men and how no one would ever give her an actual chance.

Nick was growing impatient though, and was beginning to feel nervous standing there. In the conman's mind, anyone of the CEDA crew members could walk by and find him –after all, he wasn't hiding or anything, he was just behind a corner, waiting for the female to leave. And, finally, she did.

It was his chance, with the two gone; Nick knew he had to be quick. Looking every which way, he rushed over to the metal door and punched in the number, a smirk spreading across his face as the door opened for him. Giving a quick glance around once more, the conman slipped into the room, watching as it shut behind him

The room gave off an eerie feeling: with the computers all having some sort of matrix-like code running on their screens, and with the hollow sound the floor made with each step. It put the gambler on edge as he looked around for a computer that would possibly hold the list, so he could change the names.

Having gone so long with Ellis by his side, Nick wasn't about to give up so easily; he was going to make sure he and Ellis were together. Even if Nick wasn't ready to tell the younger boy how he felt just yet, he wasn't planning on letting something like this rip them apart. Finally, Nick stopped in front of a laptop, the only one in the room, and his smirk grew.

Brushing back some of his hair, wishing there was hair gel to keep it in place, Nick sat down at the desk and ran his finger over the mouse, his eyes darting over the screen as the screen saver disappeared and a desktop with confidential information popped up. Not moving or exiting anything, he simply minimized what was up and went to look for the list, exiting the things he personally opened.

The conman was honestly surprised when thirty minutes passed and no one walked in. He had found several of the old lists, but had no luck with the one that he and his friends were posted on. Finally, after what seemed like forever, his eyes landed on a document; 'shipment teams', and then the date that followed. A smile hit Nick's lips and he quickly opened it, scanning for his and Coach's name, ready to move them to team A's list.

Cutting the two names, and moving them up into team A, Nick took two people and moved them down to team B. With a nod, Nick was about to save the file, when a door behind him opened, and his eyes widened in horror: He was busted.

Slipping out of the hall, Ellis smiled at some of the workers, before walking outside. The hooded t-shirt felt weird to the twenty-three year old –he felt like a teenage boy again in his new clothes, but he didn't mind. He looked down at the sand under his converse and smiled. The heat in Niihau was hotter than in Georgia, but he didn't mind. It felt nice, and made Ellis feel more like he was at home. Yet, the thought of home, made Ellis' heart tear.

Over the past events, the young mechanic never really had time to think about home –his mind was always focused on listening for the infected, or for special infected; he was focusing on where to find shelter, how to protect those he considered friends.

Sure, Ellis never really seemed like he was focused, considering he was always talking, running his mouth off about something –mostly the stupid stunts that Keith pulled, or some random story he hoped would make the group laugh. But he really was trying to keep his mind straight and, despite the incessant speech, Ellis had his friend's backs.

As the hick walked on toward the beach, Ellis also realized another big factor that kept him from thinking about home . . . Nick. That was the only excuse that the younger boy could come up with as to why he was so upset when Nick left. Even though the gambler was always so harsh toward Ellis, he loved being around Nick: Something about him made the younger boy feel relaxed, and at ease . . . safe.

Yet, when Nick had stormed out of the banquet hall, Ellis felt exposed, uneasy, and almost completely helpless. That was all that could really mean, right? Rubbing his arm, Ellis stopped and kicked his shoes off, letting the tide wash up against his bare feet. Despite living on the east coast, Ellis had never been to the beach, and this was a new experience for him.

Looking out over the horizon, the younger boy smiled; his hair had grown sort of long over the past few months, and fell about his head in a messy heap of waves and curls, billowing lightly in the wind. Seeing the sparkling blue hues and cloudless sky, all of his worries washed away. For a moment, as Ellis turned his gaze up to some tropical bird flying overhead, he almost forgot that he had just survived the zombie apocalypse, and all the times he had nearly died.

It was a nice feeling, forgetting about all the bad, and finally feeling his body relax like it never had before. His mind wandered to where the man in the fancy suit had told him they were going: Japan. Sure, Ellis knew of Japan, but he'd never even thought of going there, and he had no idea what it was like, or how to speak the language. But that was just another dare that life was throwing in his face, right? Right!

With a smile spreading from ear to ear, Ellis closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, his body numb to anything as the smell of the tropical island filled his lungs. "Awe shit, man. I know Ro and Coach are gonna fix 'is 'ere mess. . . 'Sides, I doubt. . . " his voice broke off as he looked down to the ground, sorrow flooding his eyes. "I dun think I wanna go anywhere without Nick."

A spine chilling sigh left his lips as Ellis walked from the water's path, sat down, and grabbed for his shoes and socks, stopping, however, when he heard a soft cooing noise. "What the . . . ?" Ellis put his shoes down and looked out toward the lush island forest that was just a few yards down. Standing, the mechanic dropped his shoes and walked toward the sound.

Sitting under a fern was something black and fluffy; it had ears like a bunny, the wings of a bat, and had a long tail with small spikes going down its back like a dragon. "Well damn, ain't you just a cutie?" Ellis bent down and went to reach for the strange creature, but stumbled when it began scurrying away. Curious to find out more about it, Ellis chased after it.

"Now wait up jus' a second lil' fella. I ain't gon' do ya no harm." The young man's mind was blank to where he was going; his thoughts solely focused on trying to catch up with, and figure out what kinda creature the thing was. He had no idea that he had run past the caution tape that CEDA had posted around the restricted areas.

After all, whoever pays attention to those sorts of things when you're chasing after a creature you've never seen, or heard of before? Barefoot, Ellis tried his hardest to avoid branches, any broken glass, or twigs that could possibly hurt his feet. Even after all that time of running from zombies, and chasing after teammates when they were grabbed by special infected, this thing gave Ellis a run for his money.

Dodging through thick underbrush and luscious plants, the young man chased this cooing creature out into an open field that lead to a beautiful waterfall. Gazing at the mass of water in amazement, Ellis stopped for a second, looking around at the magnificent wild life that dotted the tree lines and the edge of the water. The sound of the gushing falls made Ellis shiver, it was peaceful, serene, and almost made the hick forget about the creature he was tailing.

Well, that was until it made another cooing sort of noise. Turning his head, Ellis caught sight of the odd creature sitting on a rock in the middle of the water, well out of the fall's way. Walking over to the edge, Ellis rolled his pants up and sat down, putting his feet in the water, not really concerned with what was in the water. Tilting his head a little, he kept his eyes on the crystal blue-eyed creature. "Now how'd ya go and get all the way out there lil' buddy?"

One of the creature's long, bunny-like ears flickered in response, and it turned around on the rock, looking at Ellis curiously, before lowering itself and giving one huge leap. Ellis watched the creature with wide, amazed eyes as it leapt well over ten yards and landed behind him. Giving a cooing noise, that sounded like it had a hint of a purr to it, it ran off again.

Shaking his head, Ellis darted off after it, curious to find out where it was going, and what kind of creature it was. After a few more minutes of chasing it, Ellis stopped, hands on his knees as he was heaving for breath. Looking up, he smiled as he noticed the creature was sitting still, grooming itself. Walking over, Ellis took slow steps, hoping it wouldn't run again.

Pleased that it didn't make a run for it, Ellis knelt down in front of it hesitantly, in case it darted away but, to his surprise, the small creature lifted its head and nuzzled Ellis' hand. With a smile, Ellis reached down and scooped the creature up, standing with it in his arms, petting it happily. "Well ain't you just a cutie? I wonder what kinda animal you a-" Ellis' words were cut short as he stopped, feeling the ground shake below him.

The small creature in his arms gave a whimper, cuddling closer to him for protection, and he looked down, just in time to see the ground give out –it sending Ellis and the creature plummeting down with a scream; Ellis finally realizing how much trouble he was in from being so far away from anyone that could hear, or find them.

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! Back for round two of "A Long Way from Home". I hope everyone is enjoying it, and I hope I'm going a good job keeping them all in character while entertaining you all. ^-^ I'm having fun writing it, and I'm looking forward to any reviews you all have! R&amp;R love you all! Also, don't forget to check out Zombalian Academy!<strong>


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